John Cena - Get Over It.

[BK Styles]

Okay, everyone knows that John Cena gets heat. He gets it because he's been the same character for about 6 years now (after turning form his rapper to nice guy with an attitude) and haing the same moveset. People now boo Cena, in my opinion, mainly because its the 'thing' to do. Sure, people still come on this forum and say 'Cena is bad because...' or 'Cena is overrated...' or 'Cena should be turned heel...' etc. and some people have basis behind their arguments, and to them, fair play.

but I saw something on the "WWE needs two top faces and two top heels on 1show":
http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?p=3326026#post3326026

this one comment really made me think:

"People boo and hate cena because.... wait for it.... he deserves it. "

Now, I've tried to justify this in my head, but I cannot get just how idiotic this comment is.

Newsflash. Cena is huge. He is a star. He is consistant with everything he does. He's a model employee, his matches are always solid, they're nowhere near as predictable as some make out (2 or 3 years ago, they were formulaic, I will admit), but I am sick and tired of people bitching about him. Yeah, he's been at the top for a long time but, lets face it, he's there because a. he deserves to be, and b. because no-one has come near him for a long time. IMO he is one of the two last true stars that has been made in the WWE. Orton is the other. Miz is close, but not there yet. There are many others who are getting there, but nowhere near as of yet, and maybe after Cena and Orton, there won't be another guy as big as them, or the guys before them.

So, my point is, is there anyone else who believes that the heat Cena gets, largely, isn't warranted?

 

[ahoyhoy]

People don't care for the character and try to make themselves heard to hopefully see change in a product they invest in: what exactly is your problem? You wish they would shut up and take what they are given even if they don't like it?

Cena the character is the work of many and they have done a great job in my opinion but just because he is the face of the company doesn't mean he has a right to be liked or that people will enjoy him just for that. If people think his matches are too formuliac, if they don't care for his character or storyline situations, regardless of whether he has done enough to make it to the top, then people are still allowed to say they don't like it.

And then look at Punk. He has spent years building a heel persona, is in no way a model employee etc. etc. and the fans who should have been boo-ing him all love him and buy his merch. Just because we, the wrestling public, are *supposed* to think a certain way doesn't mean we do. Just because someone is pushed as someone to cheer for doesn't mean you don't want to boo them. Just because someone is pushed as someone to boo at, doesn't mean you don't want to cheer for them. Just because someone doesn't get pushed doesn't mean they are over and vise-versa, look at Ryder and 'The Chosen One' Drew McIntyre's career paths.

There is nothing wrong with your respect for Cena, just don't be naive in wanting everyone to think they need to have the same opinion as you do.

 

[The Hardcore Kid]

Do we really need so many god damned John Cena threads every day? Pro or anti John Cena, they're both annoying. Look, Cena is the quintessential "good guy", and he's the face of the PG era. Of course every smarky IWC fan is going to boo him to feel cool and superior. Then we have the backlash of everyone booing him, where, to feel different and superior again, smarky IWC fans are starting to defend him.

I just don't see why anyone cares that much.

 

[BK Styles]

There is nothing wrong with your respect for Cena, just don't be naive in wanting everyone to think they need to have the same opinion as you do.

It's not that i want everyone to have the same opinion, but I see your point. I probably didn't get it across as well as i would have liked to. If someone gives a legit reason (i.e. not 'he sucks' or 'hes drugged up' or things like that') then i have no issue with it; its a case of opinions. It's when people say something like 'John Cena gets booed, people hate him, and he deserves it' that really pisses me off about it

But I do see your point. I'm not even really a fan. But I think the heat he gets is mostly undeserved.

 

[Enoch V2]

I have been following these boards for about a year (without being registered) and I've noticed that the latest flavour of the month is to be a Cena fan.

I'd say in this last year or so the trend from hating Cena to liking Cena has swayed quite a bit. It is interesting; quite often when and idea becomes rebellious in it's minority nature, it begins to grow, then when it becomes the majority, all of a sudden it lures most others in.

It's annoying how this debate continues.

Yes Cena is boring, not that talented in the ring, and just a superhero for the kids.
But he is also a great face for the company, an ambassador, he can use the mic and can tell a story in the matches he has.


These are the common arguments on both sides. It's your own opinion, don't just follow the popular or trending ideas.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Nobody is just booing (or cheering) Cena or anyone else just for the hell of it.

Crowd reaction is based on what the fans think of the character. In terms of WWE characters being booed or cheered, I really think it's an impossible question to answer whether or not they "deserve" to get booed. The fans are booing for a reason. You might think it's not warranted but everyone's criteria is different.

For the most part, I'll boo a guy if I don't like his character in general, or if he did something specific in a prior match or feud, or if I just like the other guy in the current feud better.

Does that mean the guy doesn't deserve to be booed? I'm not sure.


My point is, crowd reaction is an opinion and everyone is cheering or booing for different reasons so it's unfair to say a guy does or doesn't deserve the reaction he gets.

 

[WWE Ice Cream Bar]

Most people hate Cena because it "cool" to hate on Cena, however some people including myself hate Cena because he keeps doing the same thing over and over again. There is nothing fresh about his character anymore, its not edgy nor is it fun unlike the rapper gimmick he had.

He buries his opponents by not selling their moves, aka ddt on the concrete floor or the 30 minute hammering he took from Miz and A-Ri and still winning the match.

John Cena = Superman. I like superman but I would like to see him challenged or even get his arse whooped by his nemesis time to time, but it never happens.

All his losses don't make his opponents look stronger because he never looses clean. It's always via Dq, count out or a mistake of his.

All the great wrestler of the past have gotten their arse whipped with no exceptions. Rock, austin, taker, triple h, mankind, jericho. All have been involved in brual matches and have been beaten to a plup and they were big stars as well but I have yet to see John Cena truly get the shite kicked out of him.

On top of all this, his comedic timing is horrendous. He can't tell a joke without looking stupid.

 

[Mustang Sally]

So, my point is, is there anyone else who believes that the heat Cena gets, largely, isn't warranted?

Sure, I don't think the heat is warranted ..... if folks want to show their displeasure that his character hasn't changed it years, it would be more accurate to boo the Creative team. Since there's no way to do that in a wrestling arena, they boo Cena.

Cena plays it as if the boos don't bother him in the least.....and I believe it's genuine. He probably feels that if he's getting fan reaction at all, it's a good thing.....whether they're cheering or jeering. Look at all the performers who see fans sitting through their matches and promos as if at a funeral.

In the IWC, we have tons of Cena haters......but, consider this: many, many of these folks are people who claim to love wrestling......even as they detest everything that's going on in the two major pro wrestling companies. You read their stuff every day in this forum; all they do is piss and moan that there are no original ideas, no good matches, etc etc etc.

So John Cena gets booed? Big deal! Feel free to dislike his wrestling ability, his personality....whatever. The man's got the goods; he's the biggest thing in wrestling and he's got what people come out to see....whether they decide to love it or hate it.

 

[jackson-lowe]

I don't like Cena's character, sure. I think it is so dull, and the vast majority of his matches follow that trend of normality. In the arena i think it's fine to boo a guy, you have freedom of speech right? (It's a bit paradoxical in the fact that people complain about cena getting booed, but the heels are supposed to get boos and just deal with it)

But the assault on Cena, where people go to the extent of booing him of press conferences and actually saying they hate him, is what i don't agree with. The dude works so hard for the company, and without him alot of stuff wouldn't happen.

But the heat he gets in the ring = warranted.

 

[JETER123]

John Cena just isn't entertaining to the majority of the fans. The fans shouldn't have to like someone because you say "he works hard" and is a "huge star".

John Cena's character is unbelievably stale. He's been a face for 8 years straight, and people want a change. And the funny thing is, he's the only superstar that Vince won't turn heel, even though the crowd reactions are usually 60-40 anti Cena. I wish he would just realize that Cena is a big enough name that if he did turn heel, merchandise sales would stay the same, if not increase.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

All the great wrestler of the past have gotten their arse whipped with no exceptions. Rock, austin, taker, triple h, mankind, jericho. All have been involved in brual matches and have been beaten to a plup and they were big stars as well but I have yet to see John Cena truly get the shite kicked out of him.

This is a great point. Those guys all got their butts kicked by others and you know what? That made me, as well as others I'm sure, really respect those guys even more. It made their characters seem more real AND it built up the hype for their next match.

When a top star like Rock, Austin, Jericho, etc. would get their brains beat out, I was so hyped for the next big match of theirs to see how they would "rebound" and how the story would play out surrounding the previous match.

With Cena, for the most part, you know what you're going to get and that's why I think some of the fans are booing him or are sick of him.

 

[Minnesota Connection]

As someone who barely comes to the forum and who has little to no connection to the "IWC."

My opinion is this.

John Cena needs to stop winning world titles. How long did it take for Ric Flair or Triple H to amass their world title victories? Threw an entire career they did. John Cena has done it in half a decade. That is the true travesty of it all. By the time he retires, he will have worked half as hard as the real greats of wrestling and probably have double the title reigns. No matter "How hard" he works, he isn't close to being in the same category as some of the other legends.

Real wrestling fans are getting muffled out by little children and people who just settle. You can be a wrestling fan and not like sports entertainment. There is a difference. I happen to love TiVo, it bloops passed all of the ridiculousness and if done right, you can watch Raw in a half hour.

Cena deserves the booing. If it were back in the day, I would not be surprised if they threw garbage at him...

 

[JBShakes]

People don't care for the character and try to make themselves heard to hopefully see change in a product they invest in...

With all due respect, what CHANGE do you honestly think is going to come about from going to these boards and writing "CENA SUX!!11!!" threads, or showing up at live WWE events and booing the hell out of the man? As long as you're reacting to Cena passionately, I get the impression that John Cena, Vince McMahon and the entire corporate structure of WWE could give less than two shits what you do, as long as you're reacting.

Look - I totally get the level of boredom with the Cena character - he wrestles an intensely old-school "pro-wrasslin'" style in an era where more and more guys are flashing elements of Lucha, puroresu, and even MMA in their in-ring styles. The utter lack of proven complimentary talent at the top of the card has meant we've seen more of one guy as the face of the company than at any point since the "Rock 'N Wrestling" days of Hogan, but if you want to see CHANGE, complaining about the guy who's already established as the top star in the company and is already bringing in a TON of cash to the business isn't going to get it done.

Drop the Mark Madden-approved "EVERYTHING SUX!" attitude, and give your OVERWHELMING SUPPORT, both verbal and financial, to something you do like about the product that isn't currently being highlighted. Merchandise sales are now the #1 driver of WWE revenue - so go buy a Zack Ryder t-shirt, or a Daniel Bryan action figure. If you really want change, show them what you LIKE, and show them that they can profit from you liking it. Crapping all over what's already working for the WWE isn't going to "change" anything.

 

[multiverseman.com]

It's not even just that the character is stale or that he's been where he is for a while. It's the utter arrogance of the company to try and sell his character as this controversial, yet utterly awesome entity when the truth is they just hate him, but he sells merch so they won't let him be a heel.

 

[ThatGuy99]

I do think that John Cena DOES deserve to be booed.
And there's a good reason for it, one that even Chavo Guerrero has pointed out; SAME OLD SHIT.
Okay, so Chavo didn't phrase it like that, but when he said John Cena is always doing the same thing, well, he's right.
Don't just jump and say "oh everyone has their signatures!"
Cause it's not like that, simply put, 99% of Cena's matches have followed the same formula -exchange moves for 3 minutes, Cena gets beat up for 15 minutes, Cena counters, gets hyped up and does his combo - the shoulder tackles, the you can't see me and the proto-bomb.
This is when it diverges -
A) Cena hits the AA or locks on the STF
or
B) His opponent counters and they trade punches/counters for half a minute till Cena hits the AA or the STF
BUT THAT'S HOW IT ALWAYS GOES.
He doesn't really do anything different other than the finish. which is really - BORING.
He may have amazing work ethic outside the ring, but inside, he's lazy as hell.

Therefore, Cena does deserve the boos he gets

 

[JBShakes]

99% of Cena's matches have followed the same formula -exchange moves for 3 minutes, Cena gets beat up for 15 minutes, Cena counters, gets hyped up and does his combo - the shoulder tackles, the you can't see me and the proto-bomb.

Please explain how that's any different than any of the major stars of the past 30 years. When Ric Flair goes up to the top turnbuckle, do you HONESTLY not know what's coming next? How many times have you seen Shawn Michaels "nip up" and set up Sweet Chin Music? For chrissake, Hulk Hogan wrestled the EXACT SAME MATCH for 13 solid years, mostly while holding the title the entire time, and is the biggest star in the history of the business.

I notice you've got a "Brahma Bull" logo as your avatar - you DO know that the complaints you just leveled at Cena are the EXACT SAME COMPLAINTS I used to see about Rocky when I was writing columns for prowrestling.com in the mid and late 90's, right?

Do you happen to know where the phrase "5 moves of doom" comes from? It was a reference to the fact that BRET F'N HART used to use the same 5 moves in sequence to set up the Sharpshooter at the end of ALL of his matches. Pro wrestling is about formula and ritual.

Frankly, I could care less what Chavo Guerrero thinks about John Cena or any other wrestler, for that matter - Chavo may have had lots of "variety" in his matches, but there was one thing that was totally consistent about all of his matches - NOBODY GAVE A SHIT.

 

[ZUMBOdriver]

I get tired of hearing the same old story of, "People only hate John Cena because they think its cool" or "People think its cool to hate faces." DX, NWO, and the Stone Cold/Vince saga are all examples of stories in the wrestling that changed the culture of how faces and heels are perceived. Heel-like behavior mixed in with some humor had become the thing that many fans wanted to see and cheer for. Maybe it was a reflection on how society was changing, or maybe fans were just craving something different. Either way, this is how a large number of fans who liked wrestling during that era were conditioned.

So if someone dislikes Cena because he is predictable, corny, boring, etc., I'm not going to chastize that particular fan for just trying to be cool. It's what they want out of wrestling and they have the right to have their voices heard.

I do have one question though. Is the WWE that worried about John Cena's credibility, that they can't have him lose clean every once in a while? Seems like they are to me. Is a clean loss really going to hurt Cena that badly, if he really is over as the mega face of the company? I don't think it will, but it seems like the WWE does. Now, I'm sure someone will come up with the rare occurance when Cena did lose cleanly but nonetheless it's completely unbelieveable to have someone just win over and over again, as well as never lose a clean match. This is certainly a reason why fans, unless they're a complete fanboy, would dislike a certain wrestler, especially a wrestler that many fans don't buy into to begin with.

 

[ForeverRKO]

Newsflash. Cena is huge. He is a star. He is consistant with everything he does. He's a model employee, his matches are always solid, they're nowhere near as predictable as some make out (2 or 3 years ago, they were formulaic, I will admit), but I am sick and tired of people bitching about him. Yeah, he's been at the top for a long time but, lets face it, he's there because a. he deserves to be, and b. because no-one has come near him for a long time. IMO he is one of the two last true stars that has been made in the WWE. Orton is the other. Miz is close, but not there yet. There are many others who are getting there, but nowhere near as of yet, and maybe after Cena and Orton, there won't be another guy as big as them, or the guys before them.

So, my point is, is there anyone else who believes that the heat Cena gets, largely, isn't warranted?

first of all John Cena's matches arent " solid " because of him , if Randy Orton had the same storylines as John Cena they'll be 10x better just because YOUR champion isnt in them. and NEWSFLASH! John Cena is overrated! he's the main guy in a company that doesnt give a damn about wrestling. like The Rock said , John Cena is in WWE because of the money ( wasnt he going to school so he can hopefully be a Linebacker? yeah i think so ) he has no talent , the mic skills of a 3rd grader , with grandpa jokes. He brings the company, yes. but anyone could bring the company money if they were in Cena's place. have you noticed Randy Orton is on the WWE 12 cover and not cena? he's on the night of champions poster, alone. without cena. he's the youngest world champion , and not john cena. he's the guy that destroyed countless legends. (i sense a huge power shift in the near future)

 

[Miz_Mark]

I have no problem with people complaining about how Cena is booked or the character, I often agree with those complaints. What bothers me is when people hate on Cena as a person, and Cena as a performer.

I'm sorry, but there is no indication from anything I've seen that John Cena the man is anything but an upstanding individual who loves his job, loves his fans, loves the industry, and does everything he can to be a good person. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him as a human being.

And as a performer? Face it, Cena is incredibly talented. He gets the reactions he gets, and sells the merchandise he sells because he has skill, in the ring and on the mic. Cena is a damn talented professional wrestler, and a good percentage of the people hating on him now loved him on his way up. Guess what? His mic skills and ring skills didn't disappear. He is every bit as talented as he was then, he's just been asked to play a character and wrestle a style you don't care for. Not caring for that is fine, I support your opinion, but it is absurd to say he is untalented.

 

[DrewskiBroski]

Cena haters aren't hating on Cena...

They're hating on the Face of the WWE.

The PG era is not well loved by the fans... the lack of importance in mid level matches is not well loved by fans... the lack of storyline in the WWE other than Miz, Orton, Cena is not well loved by fans... There are only two belts that matter, WWE Champ belt and Heavyweight Champ belt, US and Intercontinental are jokes (gone are the Mr. Perfects and the Ricky Steamboats).

Cena is a target. You put your face on the front of a product that people grew up loving and when the company isn't giving you the same product day in/day out then you start to blame the whole thing on the guy who is supposed to personify the product...

 

[ZUMBOdriver]

Face it, Cena is incredibly talented. He gets the reactions he gets, and sells the merchandise he sells because he has skill, in the ring and on the mic.

Cena gets reactions and sells stuff because of image. Cena can cut a promo, but I think its silly to believe that Cena's in ring work ever sold a wristband, dogtag, t shirt, collector cup, action figure, or garden gnome.

 

[hbkmark]

I understand that you think that Cena is dull. I think a lot of it is who he has gone up against. Even Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart got stale in their hey-days because the people they went up against did not give them great give-and-take.
The fact that WWE did not have anyone behind Randy Orton for Cena to feud with meant people got sick of the two of them. Also, as good as Orton is, he is not exactly a comic foil. Any of the off-the-wall stuff was left to Cena in their feud. I think Miz brought a little bit out of Cena because he was so different and now there is great opportunity.

My hope is that these little glimmers of respect that Cena is already showing for CM Punk do not take away from how much Punk can energize what Cena is doing. If they can have a back-and-forth where it is funny but intense I think the hating of Cena might fade. The Rock was not The Rock without Austin, and it did not get stale because you also had Triple H and Mick Foley and others who all had different personas.

As much as some may hate Cena on the mic, who over the last four or five years was able to even get a crowd reaction until Miz came along. I think if WWE can play Cena-Punk the right way and then work Miz back into things you may get less sick of Cena.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

As much as some may hate Cena on the mic, who over the last four or five years was able to even get a crowd reaction until Miz came along.

Triple H, Edge, Jericho, VKM, to name few.


Cena is not horrible on the mic but he's not what I'd call "good" either. He can talk, which is more than most of the current WWE roster can say, unfortunately.

 

[Domo Nation]

Here is why Cena is not deserving of hate. Who is your favorite wrestler today? Let's look and see.....

Punk: Breakout feud AGAINST CENA (at least to get to the level he's at now)
Miz: Breakout feud AGAINST CENA
Sheamus: Breakout feud AGAINST CENA
Edge: Cashed in MITB and got over as a heel AGAINST CENA
Batista: Best feud as a heel AGAINST CENA
Hell, even R-Truth looked credible AGAINST CENA
I guarantee you Del Rio's breakout feud will also be against Cena.

I could go on, but I don't want to get repetitive (like Cena is, I'll admit) Considering the fact that basically every credible heel on the roster except for Christian got over by feuding with Cena, he must be doing his job pretty damn well.

Seriously, do you people go to McDonald's and complain that your Big Mac has had the same 5 "ingredients of doom" for as long as you can remember? Of course you don't, you understand that they do it because it's delicious and it works. Do yourself a favor and look at Cena the same way. If you like your precious heels, you better damn well like Cena because he's the only person getting them over in the WWE right now.

 

[I_got_bant_for_idiocy]

John Cena needs to stop winning world titles. How long did it take for Ric Flair or Triple H to amass their world title victories? Threw an entire career they did. John Cena has done it in half a decade. That is the true travesty of it all. By the time he retires, he will have worked half as hard as the real greats of wrestling and probably have double the title reigns. No matter "How hard" he works, he isn't close to being in the same category as some of the other legends.

Real wrestling fans are getting muffled out by little children and people who just settle. You can be a wrestling fan and not like sports entertainment. There is a difference. I happen to love TiVo, it bloops passed all of the ridiculousness and if done right, you can watch Raw in a half hour.

Cena deserves the booing. If it were back in the day, I would not be surprised if they threw garbage at him...

This is why the World title is a joke and doesnt mean shit really anymore.. what is cena now a 11 time champion thats a fuckin joke!!!!!! all his title wins/loses are forgettable and have no classic moments behind it .. it has nothing compared to y2j beating stone cold and the rock in the same night, or hogan winning his first world title in MSG, or stone cold winning his first title at wrestlemania 14, or even brock taking the title off the rock, or goldberg beating hogan on monday nitro!!!! cena's 11 championship is a joke.. only thing i really will never forget is cena losing the belt to rvd at one night stand thats it.. He should not win nomore titles